Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1299: Further and further away from home

---Perrerian---

“We are getting further and further away from home,” Monique mumbled to herself as they entered a big hall with floors of polished white stone and silver metal. They had just passed through the so-called Imperial Gate and apparently arrived in the capital

“Donʼt worry. There is nothing here that can really threaten us. Take it as a little trip,” Jonah answered her mumble. But he had misunderstood the Chosen of Athena. She was not worried about the danger of being this far from home.

Moniqueʼs annoyance had its root in the fact that Home Call did not work in non-system worlds. They couldnʼt just instantly port back home. So, if something stupid happened, like the Emperor denying them the use of the portal to return, they had to get back on foot.

“Two months. They said it takes two months by horse from here back to Count Clutcherʼs territory. If shit hits the fan here, we might have travel for over a month to get back,” she lamented. That was totally going to burn through their rations, too, and who knew what trouble would come up during such a trip?

“Most of all, we werenʼt originally planning to get this far away. Our return was planned once we were done in Blackfeather. Instead of being done there, we are meeting their emperor!” Monique complained. She would have been fine to forgo the explanation and let Azotain interrogate the demon, but nooo, Jane jumped at the chance to meet the ruler.

“Itʼs been sanctioned by Mary and Leana. Nothing we can do about it now. I heard we get access to the imperial library, maybe we find something interesting, concerning the former owners of this world?” Jonah answered lazily.

“Well, at least it has one benefit,” Monique stopped complaining with a sigh. What Jonah said was correct, and coming here was not without benefits, even if she didn’t want to admit it. Jane would be able to negotiate directly with the imperial advisors, and their research team was promised access to the imperial vault of knowledge.

It was just Monique and Jonah suffering, as they had nothing to do except guard everyone. At least Jonah would get to explore a library. Monique was not looking forward to standing beside Jane as she went over a bunch of trade agreements with a bunch of eggheads.

“Halt!” someone suddenly shouted, their voice echoing across the hall. The gates of the entrance had been pushed wide open. The person who shouted stood at the helm of a group of soldiers in white uniforms and robes. They were a striking contrast to their entourage of imperial soldiers, wearing deep blue uniforms and robes.
“What do you want, Justus?” the imperial envoy asked the loud man in a familiar manner. Although they seemed acquainted, their relationship didn’t seem good. The soldiers who had accompanied them on each side went to the front to support the envoy.

“By the degree of Bishop Puffin, the demon in your custody is to be transferred to the dungeon of the Holy See,” the man named Justus exclaimed, showing off a scroll as if he were reading from it. Monique quickly realized that these people were from the local church.

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The church was actually trying to take her quarry. Although Monique was ready to speak up, she glanced at Jane and the envoy before deciding to wait for a moment and see how things were going to develop.

“Well, Justus, the demon isn’t in our custody, so I can hardly give it to you,“ the envoy said derisive, gesturing at the unconscious figure, held by two of the Oathguards. The guards of Minas Mar in their silver high quality armor clearly didn’t belong to the imperial soldiers.

“Stop talking nonsense. I don’t care who holds him, the Bishop’s decree is clear,” Justus discarded the objections and demanded the demon anyway.

“Justus! Are you trying to cause a diplomatic incident? These people are guests of the emperor and the people who caught the demon. Is the Light Church really willing to pick a fight with the empire and its potential allies?” the envoy argued vehemently.

Only after this threat did the holy man give their party a proper look. Was he still going to pick a fight, even after the envoy staked the power of the emperor in this, when his decree was just the scribbles of a piddling Bishop? Not that Monique had any great idea about the standing of a bishop, but who was he to stand up to the emperor, right?

“We will talk about this at a later time,” Justus said with an expression like he just ate shit. With a scowl, he turned around and signaled his men to retreat. The path was cleared.

“Let’s hurry and go to the palace, before anything unsavory happens,” the envoy urged them. It seemed like he didn’t think that this was over for good, but since Justus left for now, they were also able to leave.

Stepping outside, Monique was properly impressed for the first time after coming into this world. So far, everything apart from the titans had looked very medieval to her, even Blackfeather did so. The imperial capital, Port Gula, was different.

The city looked clean, but distinctly not modern. The building were covered in fine decorations and colors that bore witness to great artistry and craftsmanship. Especially, magical decorations and plays of light seemed common in this place.

Apart from the streets that were filled with people in exotic robes of high quality, the skies were filled with smaller and bigger vessels, moving transport of goods and public transport to the sky. This was what the Chosen of Athena expected from a civilization that managed to develop magic on their own.

The sight made being this far away from extraction almost worth it. The Gate Station was public, but not far from the imperial palace. Following the envoy, they arrived at the entrance to the palace in a few minutes of walking through the streets.

People respectfully made way for the soldiers, and with the envoy flashing his identification at the gates, the guards let them pass without problem. After Justus was gone, things went so smoothly that Monique almost forgot about the little argument with the church people.

“Letʼs just hope we get our explanation soon...” she mumbled. Monique had not forgotten the main reason she was interested in this trip. A demon had tried to kill her, and they were sure it had something to do with how welcoming the people of the Perican Empire were.

Of course, Monique had her suspicions. It was clear that although the demons of the Abyss were no longer on this world, these people had a problem with an organized demon faction. It didnʼt take much to understand that, but she wanted to see how the emperor was going to frame it.

There was also the church that played an ambiguous role here, and the dungeons. Monique still didnʼt quite know why there was no adventurer guild... Hopefully, she would find her answers in this place. Thinking so, she checked the palace.

The whole palace was fenced off with metal fences and gates that also seemed to create a barrier above it. There were no flying vessels even close to it, either. The outer gates were guarded by people, but standing in front of the large wooden gate of the actual building was a Dungeon Buster. Security here was no joke.

“This is a side entrance, so we can get in without too much of a commotion,” the envoy explained as they entered.